386 
SWALLOWS 
lores deep black ; wimgs and tail blackish, slightly tinged with green. 
Adult female: upper parts usually duller than in male, 
but sexes often indistinguishable. Young : above entirely 
dull brownish slate. Length: 5.00-6.25, wing about 4.50- 
4.80, tail 2.30-2.50. 
Distribution. — Breeds from the limit of trees south to 
New Jersey, the Ohio Valley, Kansas, and California; 
winters from South Carolina and the Gulf States south 
to the West Indies and Guatemala. 
Nest. — In holes, usually of trees, lined with grasses, 
leaves, and feathers. Eggs usually 4 or 5, pure white. 
Fig. 47G. Wliite- 
bellied Swallow. 
The wliite-bellied swallow, with its shining white breast and 
metallic bluish green back, may be seen skimming over the water 
or sailing about in the sky at some season in a large part of North 
America. In southern California it is said to be abundant in the 
lowland willow regions, especially about ponds and marshes, while 
in Colorado it breeds up to an altitude of 10,000 feet. 
615. Tachycineta thalassina lepida ( Meams ). Northern 
Violet-green Swallow. 
Adult male. — Top of head parrot green ; nape with a narrow purple 
collar; back bottle green, glossed with violet in some lights; rump and 
upper tail coverts violet, shaded with purple ; wing and tail quills black, 
glossed with indigo; wing coverts violet, edged with green ; rump with 
white patches on sides almost confluent in life ; under parts white. Adult 
female: similar, but smaller and duller. Young: like those of bicolor , 
but feathers of under parts grayish beneath the surface, and bill smaller. 
Length: 5.30, wing 4.65, tail 1.97, bill .26. 
Distribution. — Breeds in western United States to the eastern base of the 
Rocky Mountains; north to Alaska; migrates to Guatemala and Costa Rica. 
Nest. — In cliffs or hollow trees, lined with feathers. Eggs : 4 or 5, white. 
Let a violet green swallow once come fleeing down a canyon past 
you, so that you see its remarkable violet back as it flashes by, and 
you will always have a vivid interest in the handsome bird. 
It is especially fond of the oaks and pines of the mountains, but 
nests not only in hollow trees and woodpecker holes but often in the 
walls of canyons. Dr. Mearns has found it breeding in limestone 
cliffs about the hot springs and geysers of the Yellowstone. It is 
not exclusively a bird of the wilds, however, but sometimes comes 
about ranches. 
GENUS RIPARIA. 
616. Rip aria riparia (Linn.). Bank Swallow. 
Tarsus with a small tuft of feathers on back near toes; bill 
small, nostrils opening laterally; tail much shorter than 
wings, emarginate. Upper parts sooty, darkest on head and 
wings; under parts white, with sooty band across chest and 
sides , and sometimes sooty spot on breast. Young: similar, 
but feathers of wings and rump with buffy or whitish edg- 
Fig. 477. ings. Length: 4.75-5.50, wing 3.70-4.25, tail 2.10-2.25. 
